Forging Elite Fitness

Actually don't. I stumbled upon the article below today and let the information sink in. Yes, everyone who has been CrossFitting for awhile or participated in one of our paleo challenges knows that eliminating sugar is one of the best ways to live a healthier life by reducing the threat of diabetes, heart disease and a number of other health problems. Read the labels of the things you have in your pantry, there is sugar everywhere! Here is an excerpt from a great post written by Matt Couch, the assistant strength coach at USD, check it out and then take a second to assess the fuel you are putting into your system. (full link here)

Sugar is a sweet nectar sent from the heavens to gives us an instant gratification of pure bliss.

This sugary white substance can be sprinkled on just about everything and make it taste instantly amazing. But what if I told you that sugar is the biggest issue we are fighting today as a society and that it is the leading cause for both adult AND childhood obesity. In a nutshell, sugar is killing you and making you fat along the way!

Now I am not going to “sugarcoat” this article for you, sugar is not only the leading cause for the obesity epidemic in America but it is also one of the main contributors to a multitude of illnesses such as: cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Sugar is also an inflammatory. Inflammation, researchers have found, is the leading cause of all degenerative diseases we know of. And did I mention it is highly addictive? Researchers have found that sugar is four times (4x) more addictive than cocaine. Let that sink in a bit. And just as a drug addict needs a fix for their drug, and experience withdrawal without it, when you ingest a certain level of refined sugar, you will feel the exact same way.

The average American consumes 152 grams of sugar per year, that is 22 teaspoons for every person in America… every single day! And sugar isn’t just found in cookies and desserts either. Of the 600,000 food items in our grocery stores today, 80% of these items have sugar added to make them taste better and more appealing to consumers.

Sugar hides behind many names when it comes to food labels and ingredients. Fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, turbinado, agave nectar, and the most well-known and silent killer out there – high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is in everything, from marinara sauce, to pastas and breads, to yogurt and even in ketchup, it is everywhere.